My stepsister tried to steal the prince's hand in marriage, but little did she know I had been

Chapter 108 Buying an official position

"Did she really say that?"

Madam Wen suppressed her anger, but the fear in her eyes was exactly the same as that of Granny Lin.

Both women knew of the Chu family's power. When Chu Wanqing passed away, if Consort Zhang hadn't arrived in time with her men, Madam Wen would have lost her life along with Chu Wanqing.

Lin Mama swallowed hard, her expression a mixture of fear and apprehension. She whispered, "This old servant dares not speak recklessly. These words were spoken by the young lady, and they are absolutely true. Moreover... before I left, I vaguely saw Prince Jing digging something in the flower bushes."

"What object? Are you sure you saw it clearly?" Madam Wen immediately pressed.

Granny Lin shook her head: "The guards blocked the way too well. This old servant only saw the movements, but did not see what the object looked like."

"But today, Miss went to Tingquan Garden in such a grand manner, just for those three jars of Daughter's Red wine?" Granny Lin asked in a low voice. "Do you think... that's something Miss would do?"

Madam Wen closed her eyes briefly and said coldly, "Of course not! That girl is full of tricks. She came here in such a grand manner, ostensibly for those few jars of wine, but secretly... she's probably after what's under those flowers!"

"Didn't I specifically instruct you to thoroughly search every inch of Tingquan Garden? How could such a huge oversight occur?" Madam Wen demanded sternly. "What kind of work have you done?"

Upon hearing this, Granny Lin gave a bitter smile: "This old servant had already sent people to burn all the items in Tingquan Garden that had writing on them, not even sparing the carvings on the tables and chairs. Who would have thought... that she would bury something underground."

Madam Wen was furious, but she held back her anger for a long time before finally managing to suppress it.

"It's too late to talk about all this now. The most urgent thing is to find out what clues that little slut Wen Shuyao has!" A sharp glint flashed in Madam Wen's eyes. "I underestimated her. I didn't expect that she could still remember things from so many years ago!"

“She was only three years old then!” Mrs. Wen said, her voice filled with barely concealed fear.

What can a three-year-old remember?

But Wen Shuyao remembered it, and that memory lasted for fifteen years!

Moreover... she was such a young child, yet she managed to conceal her true intentions and deceive all of them.

Over the years, her actions have likely been exposed to Wen Shuyao right under her nose.

Thinking of this, Madam Wen gasped.

She held Lin Mama's hand and murmured, "If I had known this would happen, I would have gotten rid of her back then."

"To avoid such trouble," she said bitterly, "to prevent her from stealing Tong'er's good marriage!"

Lin Mama wanted to agree, but couldn't help but advise, "At that time, you were in a precarious situation yourself. If you had gotten rid of her, the Chu family would probably have fought tooth and nail to kill you for revenge. At that time, the Imperial Concubine hadn't yet established herself in the palace."

Madam Wen closed her eyes and braced herself on the handrails to prevent herself from slipping down.

She whispered, "You're right. Instead of dwelling on the past, we should think about what to do next."

"I will absolutely not allow Wen Shuyao to succeed," she said through gritted teeth. "I'm going to Cuiweifang right now!"

Upon hearing this, Granny Lin's expression changed drastically: "Now?"

"If we wait any longer, it will be too late!" Madam Wen clenched her hands angrily. "That little slut Wen Shuyao, who knows what she has in store for us!"

Just then, someone strode in.

It was Lin Mama's spy left in Tingquan Garden.

Upon seeing her, Granny Lin trembled.

Could it be that something has happened at Tingquanyuan again?

Just as Lin Mama was speculating, she heard the maid whisper, "I saw the eldest young lady dig out several jade boxes from under the flowers. They looked extremely exquisite, but it took two guards to lift them."

Upon hearing this, Madam Wen became even more restless.

"Listen to this! How much stuff is that?" Madam Wen gritted her teeth. "No, I must go find him!"

"This matter cannot be left like this!" she said bitterly. "Wen Shuyao's threat should not be underestimated!"

After failing to persuade her, Granny Lin had no choice but to leave the mansion with Madam Wen.

Fortunately, the mansion was bustling with activity today, and very few people noticed Madam Wen's movements.

Cuiwei Lane remains bustling with activity, a constant flow of people.

As the year draws to a close, many families, whether wealthy or ordinary, want to purchase a decent piece of jewelry.

When Madam Wen suddenly saw so many people, her heart skipped a beat, and she felt very uneasy.

"Granny, have you found anything?" she asked in a low voice.

As vigilant as she is, she is very worried that someone might be following her.

Granny Lin had already been observing the surroundings, and upon hearing this, she shook her head: "This old servant has carefully observed the area and has not noticed anyone following us."

Madam Wen breathed a sigh of relief and said in a low voice, "In that case, please have Granny keep watch outside the door for me, in case anything happens..."

"This old servant knows everything," Lin Mama nodded. "You can rest assured."

If it weren't for the fact that the person Madam Wen wanted to see was elusive and could not be seen without Madam Wen's personal presence, Lin Mama would never have allowed Madam Wen to take such a dangerous risk.

Seeing Madam Wen walk into the alley with several glances back, Granny Lin pretended to be exhausted and sat down at a wonton stall nearby.

He ordered a bowl of wontons, but didn't touch a single bite.

Outside the alley, several pairs of eyes subtly swept over the area.

Lin Mama was unaware that Wen Shuyao had not sent anyone to follow Madam Wen.

—Wen Shuyao had already increased the number of people to monitor the entire Cuiweifang.

If the spies from Prince Jing's mansion are disguised properly, even if Granny Lin has two pairs of eyes, she won't be able to tell them apart.

As Madam Wen walked deeper into the alley, her heart beat faster and faster.

Just then, a tall figure appeared in front of her.

When Madam Wen saw the person who had arrived, her violently beating heart calmed down.

She said tenderly, her voice trembling, "My love, Jiang Lang!"

……

"Just as the princess predicted."

Granny Qi, beaming with excitement, stood before Wen Shuyao and loudly recounted the scenes she had witnessed that day.

"As soon as Madam Wen stepped out, she went straight to Cuiwei Lane."

Wen Shuyao raised an eyebrow and said, "It seems she really panicked and chose to act at this time."

Wen Shuyao originally thought that Madam Wen would endure for a few more days and wait for the storm to pass before taking action.

Unexpectedly, no sooner had she returned to the Prince's residence than someone came to deliver the news.

Madam Wen was indeed in a hurry.

Wen Shuyao smiled knowingly. This time, she could truly say that everything was under control.

Now she only needs to wait patiently to get clues about what happened back then.

Thinking this way, Wen Shuyao felt very happy.

The spring imperial examination that Wen Yitong had been eagerly anticipating was also approaching.